The extent of one’s ability to perform well and achieve success may be likened to the range of travel of an automobile. It doesn’t matter if your car is fueled by gasoline or diesel, or yours is powered by electricity or hydrogen fuel cell, all vehicles have their range of travel. Some travel 400 miles on full charge or full tank while others travel less or more. The range of your car is the maximum distance your car can travel on a full tank or full charge. It is like the distance capacity of your car. Meanwhile, your car will not travel the full range if you do not fully charge it or fully fill the tank. A half tank will only give you a half of the range.

We too have an enormous capacity or potential to achieve great things, just like the range of the automobile. Unfortunately, many people do not go very far because they drive with only a quarter tank or a half level of the battery charge. There are many ways we fuel our tanks. The skills, experience, life lessons, time investments and whatever we do to become better all fill our tanks. They provide the driving force for our journey through life. People get stalled when they run out of fuel, or when their battery becomes discharged. Your skills, experience, and strengths of yesterday may not be enough to take you into your future. You may need to refresh, refill, and rejuvenate to go further.
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The challenge for most of us is not about capacity or range. We surely do have the capacity, the potential to do incredibly big things and travel a very long road. The challenge is about preparing for the journey by getting fully charged or travelling with a full tank. Some people may need to go back to the basics and learn what it takes to travel the road they are aiming for, while others will need to stop by the gas station of further learning to refuel and continue. Whatever is your case, your true range in life is not determined by your capacity but by your fuel. Determine to maximize your range with a full tank. 

Change is good. Every one of us is looking for something better. We like our situations to improve. We want things to change for better. However, change is a process. For example, we like to use tomato in its paste form, but it takes crushing of tomatoes to get the paste. Similarly, iron ore goes through a process that includes heating to high temperatures to extract steel. If your better state is like tomato paste, you may need to go through the crushing. Likewise, if your improved situation is like steel, then you may need to go through the furnace. Every significant improvement is achieved by a change process that usually includes some form of hardship.

When the change we wished for begins to happen, we may not see or feel the result immediately. Sometimes we only see the crushing – the challenges, difficulties, hardships, or the hard work needed for the change. And that can be a serious matter. The way to stay in the process is to keep focus on the expected results or outcomes. The process is always worth it, and we must accept the challenge and get positivity engrained in our subconscious minds. We need courage and, in most cases, we must develop strength from within. Strength within helps to drive actions without.
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I am not sure what stage you are at in your change. You may be starting something significant, attempting to improve a situation, working on a financial goal, or navigating a career change. You may be at the crushing stage, feeling discouraged or worried that things may not work out well. I have a word for you. Be courageous. Encourage yourself in your change. Think about the joy of fulfilling your vision, accomplishing your goal, reaching your destination, or becoming successful in whatsoever you are working on. You need courage to move forward, and you are the best person to encourage yourself. Let strength rise within you. Get courage. You can do what you think you cannot do.

One of the most difficulty aspects of leadership is to intentionally invest in others and be consistent until they grow into maturity. This is especially challenging when we must start with people who are far behind. For example, you may have a new employee who is just starting to learn the technical skills in their profession. You may need to start with handholding, watching them miss the marks on many occasions, repeatedly suggesting improvements to their work and becoming patient for them to learn. I have seen many leaders shrug off their responsibility to invest in others. They want to work with ready-made high-flying champions only.

While it is important to select our team members carefully, especially in terms of their ability, it is more profitable to pay attention to attitudes. Those who possess the right attitude will learn and grow. They will become competent with time because of their can-do mindset. Whereas, you may have a rocket scientist who is not that useful because of a negative attitude. In all my experiences, I have found that people who are given to learning will grow with time and will in turn become great within the team. Unfortunately, many so-called leaders are not patient enough to recognize those who have the potential to become great and are too hasty to dismiss the starter or someone struggling as incompetent.
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As leaders, we should not give up on those we lead. We should consistently look for the opportunity to be the source of knowledge, inspiration, and courage to those who work with us. One more thing: people differ widely in their pace of learning and growth. We do not place everyone on the same scale. If people are willing to learn and grow, it is the responsibility of the leader to provide the atmosphere, tools and support needed for them to succeed. Those who were not useful for you today may become the superstars in your team tomorrow. Don’t give up on anyone. They too will grow.

One of the values that I have learnt to embrace in my leadership journey is to stay at the front, showing my team an example of committed leadership. Many leaders only want to boss people around. They want to tell others what to do without them lifting a finger to carry anything. They sit in big offices, calling the shots, issuing policies and commands, without proper understanding of what their followers feel or experience. Yet the most important things happen at the grassroots. Those who work daily at the frontline have a better perspective of situations than those who sit on their thrones in large suites overlooking the cityscape.

What kind of a leader are you? Do you feel the heartbeat of those you lead? When your followers or team members take a position on an issue, do you care to understand their perspective. Do you even know what those you lead daily? Great leaders are not disconnected from their team but rather get engaged. Leadership is not just about vision and direction. It is also about thoughtfulness, engagement, trust in the followers and direct support for the team. Anytime I see a team fall apart, I question the leadership.

This week, I challenge you to be a frontline leader. Your success in leadership hinges on how well you can carry your team from one level to another. Leadership is a hands-on endeavour. Leadership is service delivered with compassion, commitment, and trust. Decide to get to the heart of your leadership by getting involved; by taking the frontline position, showing the way, providing support, and empowering your team to succeed. Stop bossing people around. Be a leader instead.